How to Make a Playlist on YouTube (Computer and App)

Playlists are YouTube's simplest organising tool, and I think they're underused. For everyday viewers they're a way to keep recipes, workouts or tutorials in one place. For small businesses they're far more than that: a playlist turns a pile of separate uploads into a series someone can watch one after another, and it gives your channel page a shape. Here's how to build one on each device, how the privacy settings work, and what to do when YouTube won't let you save.

These steps follow YouTube's help article on creating and managing playlists. Menus vary by app version, so if a button's named slightly differently on your screen, pick the closest match.

Create a YouTube playlist on a computer

1. Open the watch page of a video (or a Short) you want in the playlist.
2. Click More (the three dots), then Save.
3. Click Create new playlist.
4. Type a name for the playlist.
5. Use the box underneath to choose a privacy setting.
6. Click Create.

The video you started from becomes the first item in your new playlist.

Make a playlist in the YouTube app from a video

The steps are almost identical on Android, iPhone and iPad.

1. Open the video's watch page.
2. Below the video, tap More, then tap Save.
3. YouTube saves the video to the playlist you used last, or to Watch Later, and shows a pop-up. Tap Change on that pop-up.
4. Tap New playlist and enter a name.
5. Choose the privacy setting in the box.
6. Tap Create.

On iPhone and iPad you can also start from a Short: open it, tap More, then Save to playlist, then New playlist, name it, pick the privacy and tap Done.

Start a YouTube playlist from the You tab and your watch history

This route's handy when you've already watched the videos you want to group together.

1. Tap your profile picture to open the You tab.
2. In the Playlists section, tap New playlist.
3. Select one or more videos from your watch history.
4. Tap Next.
5. Give the playlist a title and set its privacy.
6. Tap Create.

YouTube playlist privacy: public, unlisted or private

The privacy box you saw while creating the playlist decides who can find it. YouTube's help centre describes three options:

Setting	Who can see it	Good for
Public	Anyone. It can show up in search and on your channel	A business series you want people to find
Unlisted	Anyone with the link. It won't appear in search results	Sharing with a client, a class or a team
Private	Only you	Personal lists, drafts and saved research

You can change it later. On a computer, go to the You tab, then Playlists, select View full playlist and pick a new setting from the menu below the title. In the app, open the playlist, tap Edit, choose the new setting and tap Save. Only the playlist's owner can change its privacy.

Add more videos and reorder a YouTube playlist

• Add a video: on any watch page, select More, then Save, then tick the playlist you want. A message at the bottom of the screen confirms where it went.
• Reorder: on a computer, open the playlist and drag videos up or down. You can also reorder for one viewing session using the playlist panel on the watch page.
• Edit the title or description: select the playlist, then select Edit next to the part you want to change.
• Filter: inside a playlist you can switch between All, Videos and, on a computer, Shorts.

Once your playlist's ready, you can make it play on repeat, which I cover in my guide to looping a YouTube video or playlist.

Deleting a YouTube playlist you no longer need

1. Open the playlist (in the app, tap your profile picture and find it under Playlists).
2. Select More on the playlist.
3. Select Delete playlist.
4. Confirm by selecting Delete.

YouTube's help page notes that a deleted playlist may still show in viewers' watch histories, so don't panic if you spot it there afterwards.

Why YouTube playlists matter for a business channel

If you post videos for your business, playlists do a lot of quiet work. Group your how-tos by topic, put customer stories together, or build a beginner's series that someone can watch from start to finish. A viewer who finishes one video and lands straight on the next one in a sensible order has an easy next step, rather than being left to pick from random recommendations.

A practical routine: every time you publish, add the new video to at least one public playlist straight away. If you're still getting the hang of publishing, start with my walkthrough on how to upload a video to YouTube, and when you're thinking about the bigger picture, my plan for growing a YouTube channel from zero shows where playlists fit.

When YouTube won't let you save to a playlist

• The daily limit: YouTube says each channel has a daily limit on creating public playlists, shared across the main app, YouTube Music and the API. If you hit it, try again the next day or create the playlist as private for now.
• Made for kids content: you can't add videos or channels marked made for kids from the homepage, but YouTube says you can add them from search results.
• Shorts-only playlists: playlists that contain only Shorts can't be reordered.
• Supervised accounts: some supervised accounts may not have every playlist option.
• Old app: if Save is missing, update the app and try again.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make a YouTube playlist without a channel?

YouTube's help steps start from your signed-in account, and the Save option creates the playlist for you. If YouTube asks you to create a channel first, follow the prompt.

How do I make a YouTube playlist private?

Choose Private in the privacy box when you create it. For an existing playlist, open it, select Edit (in the app) or use the menu below the title on a computer, pick Private and save.

Can people see my YouTube playlists?

Only if they're public or unlisted. Public playlists can appear in search and on your channel. Unlisted ones are visible to anyone with the link. Private ones are visible only to you.

How do I add a video to a playlist I already made?

Open the video, select More, then Save, and tick the playlist. A message confirms it's been added.

Why can't I reorder my YouTube playlist?

YouTube's help page says playlists containing only Shorts can't be reordered. For other playlists, open the playlist on a computer and drag the videos into place.